By 11.59 PM on Friday, March 17, students are to write a 3- to 4-page paper on the chapters “Allies” and “Loyalties”, pages 175 to 249, in Alan Taylor’s book, American Revolutions. I have not posted the reading on Blackboard. By this time, everyone should have purchased Taylor’s book.
Your writing should get close to the bottom of page three and can continue onto page four if you wish. The paper is worth 8 points. You are to discuss the American War for Independence in its global context and as a civil war among the North American colonists.
Military hostilities between colonists and the British began at Lexington and Concord in 1775, and representatives of the thirteen colonists meeting in Philadelphia signed on July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence that proclaimed the colonies’ separation from Britain. Britain was not about to let an important part of its Empire break away, and the conflict continued until a peace treaty granting independence was signed in Paris in September of 1783.
Not all colonists thought breaking away from Britain was a good idea. Those favoring independence referred to themselves with many labels. Taylor usually uses the word “Patriots” to refer to colonists who wanted to break away from Britain, but he also sometimes refers to them by other terms used at the time, like “rebels” or “Whigs”. Those colonists who opposed separation from Britain were called “Loyalists,” and sometimes “Tories”. There were also many colonists who had not made up their mind on the issue. They were not sure whether the colonies should break away from the British Empire or remain within it. These Taylor refers to as the “disaffected” or the “undecided”. You should pay attention to the numbers Taylor provides, of the proportions of colonists in each group, and mention them in your essay. This was not a battle between “the Americans” and “the British”, but rather between rebels and those who wanted the colonies to remain in the Empire. The latter included many colonists and, of course, the British government. The struggle was also a contest to get the undecided to come around to whatever side you happened to favor.
Some issues to keep in mind that your essay should address: What reservations did European powers have towards allying with the Patriots and what reservations did the Patriots have towards allying with them? In what ways did European powers eventually end up aiding the Patriot cause in the early years of the conflict? What severe difficulties did Washington’s soldiers face? What military blunders did the British commit, especially in terms of where they deployed their troops and how they moved them around? What important roles did women play in the conflict, and how did men react to their efforts? What degree of success or failure did the British meet in trying to use the issues of slavery and Indians to their advantage?
I want one well-formed essay that addresses the prompt in bold, above, and the questions in italics. I want a well-written essay, not a list of answers to separate questions. Your paper should be based on a careful reading of the two chapters assigned. Work based instead on clicking around on the internet will be rewarded with a low grade. I do not want a cut-and-paste paper that strings together long paraphrases from the reading or from my instructions for the assignment. Quote and paraphrase sparingly. I want a paper that shows you can argue forcefully on the basis of what you have learned from the assigned reading.
I wish everyone enjoyment reading an exciting pair of chapters!